Love them or hate them, villains play an enormous role in just about any game. Whether their primary role is to challenge the player, enrich the game's narrative, or provide comic relief, most iconic video games feature equally iconic and recognisable villains who challenge players at every turn.
And, while video-game villains are generally meant to be intimidating, sinister characters, this isn't the case for all of them. Some of them are downright goofy, and even some of the most challenging villains to beat in video games come equipped with some absolutely bizarre weapons.
10 Waka From Okami
While his role in Okami is, truth be told, far more complex than that of a villain, Waka serves as the early game's first real antagonist, with players being led to believe that he's in cahoots with Amaterasu's greatest nemesis, the eight-headed snake demon Orochi from Japanese folklore.
Waka is also the first real boss that players face in the game's campaign, where he uses his flute-cum-samurai-sword-cum-lightsaber, Pillowtalk. Yes, Waka's primary weapon is a flute, named Pillowtalk, which also transforms into a samurai sword and a lightsaber. It might sound silly, but Waka and Pillowtalk pack a serious punch and bring a fair spike in difficulty compared to any other enemies Amaterasu has faced up until this point in the game.
9 Orphan Of Kos From Bloodborne
Regarded by many as the toughest enemy in the entire Soulsborne franchise, players encounter Orphan of Kos in Bloodborne's The Old Hunters DLC, where he serves as the final boss.
Residing on the outskirts of the Fishing Hamlet, the Orphan of Kos is an incredibly fast and aggressive boss who deals massive amounts of damage, especially in his second phase. And, his primary weapon is his still-attached placenta, which has been reinforced with some type of metal edge or blade. The Orphan also tears off explosive chunks of the placenta to fling at players in the form of ranged and AOE attacks.
8 Tree Of Ages From Sunless Sea
Sunless Sea features plenty of strange enemies and boss encounters, but the Tree of Ages arguably takes the cake. A ship apparently made of thousands of live spiders fused together, the Tree of Ages can be encountered near the Saviour's Rocks area and is highly aggressive.
In addition to its ramming attack, which supposedly amounts to being rammed by thousands of live spiders at once, the Tree of Ages has an additional ranged attack, where it spits a sort of mix of venom and web at the player (being hit by this unsurprisingly also raises Terror as well as dealing physical damage).
7 Havel The Rock From Dark Souls
One of Dark Souls' many minibosses, Havel is a tough early-game encounter capable of one-shotting most character builds in the game. While Havel is mercifully slow and vulnerable to being parried and backstabbed, it's almost always game over for players who get caught by his overhand smash attack.
Havel's weapon, which looks like a massive club at first glance, is actually a dragon's tooth. It's a massively heavy, if bizarre, weapon, that deals enormous amounts of damage. Though, as mentioned above, Havel's Dragon Tooth can strangely also be parried with relative ease - a surefire way of taking him out.
6 The Human-Reaper From Mass Effect 2
The final boss of the game's so-called 'Suicide Mission', the Human-Reaper from Mass Effect 2 is made up of masses of emulsified human colonists that have been abducted by the Collectors.
In essence, the Human-Reaper has two fairly basic attacks in the form of a type of laser beam fired from its mouth, in addition to a slam attack it performs with its limbs. These weapons don't seem all that strange until players consider the fact that the Human-Reaper is actually made up of emulsified human bodies. So, when attacked by the Human-Reaper, players are essentially being attacked by congealed human remains. Lovely.
5 The Shark Giant From Bloodborne
Easily one of the toughest and most dangerous enemies in Bloodborne, the Shark Giant is encountered in the game's Fishing Hamlet, the final area of The Old Hunters DLC.
While the Shark Giant comes in a few different forms, many of them are armed with anchors, which they use to hit the player. Additionally, many of the Shark Giants have barnacles on their heads, which they attempt to strike the player with as part of their charge attack. All in all, the Shark Giant is a very formidable and very bizarre enemy.
4 The Mind Flayer From Demon's Souls
Encountered in Demon's Souls' sinister Tower of Latria, the Mind Flayers are mages who serve as the guards of the area.
With octopus heads and tentacles protruding from their robes, the Mind Flayers are fairly memorable for their creepy, Lovecraftian appearance. Another distinctive characteristic of the Mind Flayers is their weapon of choice - they carry illuminated, green bells around with them that they use to channel their sorcery and attack players. These enemies are formidable, and, given that many players travel to the Tower of Latria fairly early in the game, it's often far easier to simply hide from them in the various empty prison cells scattered through the Tower than actually attempting to fight them.
3 Mr. And Mrs. Cutter From Okami
Despite appearing to be a reasonably cheery, child-friendly title on the surface, Okami is, in fact, a game that features plenty of weird, sinister, and creepy villains and enemies.
Perhaps the most unsettling of them all are Mr. and Mrs. Cutter, an old couple possessed by demons that kidnap a young member of the game's sparrow nobility that players have to free. Mrs. and Mr. Cutter wield an old butcher's knife and cane respectively and attack Amaterasu in a fit of demonic rage when she finally exposes their true forms on a moonlit night.
2 The Snatcher From Bloodborne
It probably goes without saying at this point that Bloodborne is a game full of bizarre, sinister enemies. However, few encounters inspire as much fear and dread in players as the Snatchers encountered in the Cathedral Ward and Yahar'gul.
Upon defeating the Blood-Starved Beast, a Snatcher can be found standing in a sequestered corner of the Cathedral Ward. Dealing huge amounts of damage and sporting a massive health bar, the Snatcher attacks players with a massive, bloodstained sack. If the player is killed by this particular Snatcher, they will be transported to the inky blackness of the Hypogean Gaol of Yahar'gul, where they will be forced to fight their way to freedom.
1 Duke Fishron From Terraria
Terraria is a game filled with plenty of zany, weird enemies and bosses, but arguably none are strange as the hardmode boss Duke Fishron. Appearing to be a flying hybrid of a dragon, pig, and shark, Duke Fishron is a hugely challenging encounter as he has plenty of health and packs a punch to boot.
Another thing that sets Duke Fishron apart from Terraria's other bosses is his frankly bizarre weapons. Fishron wields giant bubbles that he blows at the player to inflict damage, as well as summoning massive Sharknadoes and Cthulhunadoes that the player has to contend with.